-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sergio Garcia , a 36-year-old undocumented immigrant in California , has held two lifelong dreams : to become a U.S. citizen and to practice law .

He 's been waiting 19 years for a visa still stuck in a backlog , but the California Supreme Court ensured this week that his second dream will become a reality .

Garcia can be admitted to California 's state bar and legally practice as a lawyer there , the court ruled .

`` I 'm super excited to finally be able to fulfill one of my dreams , '' Garcia told CNN Friday .

Court : Undocumented immigrant can be lawyer

But the case raises many questions , particularly among those who have been critical of Garcia 's efforts to practice law . They question how someone who is in the country without legal status can be licensed to uphold the law as an attorney .

Garcia says that this an easy initial response to make but that looking at the details of his case , it is not so clear-cut . He was brought to the United States as a minor and has been in line for 19 years for a green card . If anyone feels frustrated the the situation , they should address it with the federal government , Garcia said .

It 's the immigration system that 's broken , he said .

Garcia was born in Mexico in 1977 and taken to California by his parents when he was 17 months old , according to court documents .

He remained there until 1986 , when he and his parents returned to Mexico . Eight years later , at age 17 , Garcia again returned to California with his parents and without documentation , though his father had obtained permanent resident status in the United States .

That year , Garcia 's father filed an immigration visa petition on his son 's behalf , which federal immigration officials accepted in 1995 . The visa still has not been granted , even though Garcia has lived in the state since 1994 .

California 's Supreme Court ruled Thursday -LRB- PDF -RRB- that no state law or public policy should stop Garcia or others like him from obtaining a law license in the state .

Asked why he did n't choose a different career or pursue other opportunities , Garcia said law was his singular focus .

`` I was n't smart and put all my eggs into one basket , '' he said . `` This whole idea of being an attorney was the only idea I had going , so 20 years of working on that dream , I could n't really afford to give up on it . ''

`` That , and I 'm a little bit stubborn , anyway , '' Garcia added .

Now that he has a law license , however , one thing that Garcia will not specialize in is immigration law .

`` Oh , no , that 's just too messed up , '' he said .

CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet and Tom Watkins contributed to this report .

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A California court rules that Sergio Garcia can practice law

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Garcia is an undocumented immigrant

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He says the ruling is a dream come true

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But he wo n't practice immigration law , he says